Remember to Breathe

Reflections on the Challenge

Decide on an "essence-word", close to your heart, to work with until the next meeting. Thereafter, every day, when you see or hear your name, pause, hug yourself, and plan to do something that feels good to you.

• Experiences

  T had chosen “breathing” as her essence word. On one occasion, while sitting in stillness and about to begin a breathing practice, she heard her name called. She recalled the challenge, remained quiet, responded briefly, then hugged herself and decided she was already doing something that felt good, so she continued. Initially, she had thought the trigger was only hearing her name, but later realised it also included seeing it. Although she regularly saw her name on her phone or in emails, she did not remember the challenge at those moments. The one recorded instance took on special significance, as writing it down seemed to give it greater substance amid otherwise fleeting days.

  L had found it difficult to choose a word, eventually settling on “inviolate” rather than “inviolable,” as it implied the need for conscious effort to preserve something sacred. He related this to his artistic motto, “inspiration is inviolate.” In one instance, seeing his name in an email from a music technology colleague, he hugged himself, recalled his word, and planned a walk. On another occasion, seeing his name during a Zoom meeting, he again hugged himself and looked forward to composing.

• Responses

  Responding to T, N found it interesting that T had set aside time to do the challenge within a structured morning practice, incorporating it into prayer and breathing. He noted that this gave the experience a certain sanctity and intentional separation from everyday life. L remarked that breathing, when done with attention, is the second being-food — a concept in the Work.

Beelzebub’s Tales, Chapter 33

• Passage

  Do you remember, I already told you that I was in this Egypt for the first time during my fourth appearance on the surface of that planet of yours ...

  At my sixth descent, of all the numerous interesting constructions that had previously existed there scarcely anything existed any longer.

  They had all been destroyed, partly by the beings there themselves, thanks to what are called their ‘wars’ and ‘revolutions,’ and partly they came to be covered by sands.

  These sands were a consequence partly of those great winds I have already mentioned, and partly also of that planetary tremor which was afterwards called by the beings of this Egypt the ‘Alnepoosian earthquake.’ ...

• Discussion

  T considered whether Beelzebub’s repeated visits to Earth might allude to reincarnation. L responded that the periods described spanned thousands of years, possibly equating one of Beelzebub’s days to hundreds of ours. T drew attention to the planetary tremor, linking it to the Work idea of “shock,” and speculated that the image of sands and winds might symbolise the covering over of something essential. L agreed, noting that shocks and changes are intrinsic to the Work.

• Passage

  “Now do you know, my boy, what has gradually arisen in me while I have been telling you all this about Egypt and of what all my being has now already become finally aware—namely, an unpardonable error I made in my tales concerning the three-brained beings breeding on the planet Earth.

  “Do you remember that at one time I told you that not one of the achievements of the beings of past generations had ever reached beings of subsequent generations?

  “Well it has become aware in me that I have made a mistake about this.

• Discussion

  T noted Beelzebub’s admission of fallibility, and remarked on how unusual and humanising this was. She found it striking that a figure of such stature would openly acknowledge an error.